Two arrested after meth found in Citra home

Two Citra men were arrested when sheriff's officials found more than half a kilogram of meth inside a home the men were seen leaving.

By Austin L. MillerStaff writer

CITRA — Two Citra men were arrested early Tuesday when Marion County sheriff's officials found more than half a kilogram of meth inside a home the men were seen leaving.

Sgt. Joe VanWeelden and Deputy Roy Johnson went to the 1400 block of West County Road 316 to follow up on a case when they noticed the men leaving the home.

The men, later identified as William Shane Thompson and Eric Douglas Heinemann, ran to the west end of the residence, according to a Sheriff's Office report. Thompson ran back into the home, while Heinemann jumped a porch rail and ran away.

Johnson ran after Heinemann, 37, and caught him. The deputy found a white substance in one of his pockets and Heinemann said he wasn't sure if the substance was meth or cocaine, according to the report.

Returning to the front yard, Johnson met VanWeelden, who had Thompson, also 37, with him, along with several other people.

The sergeant said that when he went to the front door, he detected a strong chemical odor. The homeowner, who was among the others detained at the scene, gave the deputies permission to search the home.

They found meth in a container under a sink at the back of the home, according to the report, and gallon Ziploc bags containing meth in the closet of a bedroom described as Thompson's room.

The total weight of the meth found was 562 grams, according to the Sheriff's Office. Outside the home, deputies reported finding pills, marijuana and more meth.

They told Heinemann the substance found on him was meth. According to the report, he told them he had purchased the 1.5 grams from Thompson but did not give him the money because the deputies showed up.

The others detained at the home told deputies they knew Thompson made meth and that he had placed items used to make the illegal drug throughout the home.

Thompson denied the meth found in the closet belonged to him, according to the Sheriff's Office report.

Thompson was arrested and charged with trafficking in meth. Heinemann was arrested and charged with possession of meth and resisting without violence. At the jail Tuesday afternoon, Thompson said that while he uses meth, the large amount of the drug did not belong to him.

“I'm a user, but I don't cook or make it,” he said.

He said everyone who was at the residence, including himself, was using meth throughout the day. He claimed Heinemann did not come to the house, where he stays on and off, to purchase meth from him.